


Aconitum

by BohemianInk



Series: From my rotting body, flowers shall grow; I am in them and that is eternity. [1]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Divergence, Crossover, F/F, Fem!Harry, Genderbending, Gotham's Girls' Special brand of Feminism, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-11-28 12:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11418396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BohemianInk/pseuds/BohemianInk
Summary: AU. Up until now, Aster Isley was used to have wannabes thugs after her. Usually though, it was because her mother was The Poison Ivy, not because she had (not)killed a Dark Lord ten years ago. Some people can really hold a grudge, but if there is one thing the aspiring villainess can do, it's ruining a perfect plan.





	1. Queen of all Poisons

**Author's Note:**

> AN: I own neither Harry Potter nor Batman. I am just a poor dandelion writing fanfiction.

Jeremy Hutson heaved a sigh and tiredly glanced around the nearly empty dingy bar. As the night came to an end, only the desperate souls still occupied their seats, staring into their drinks as though the toxic liquid contained the answer to all their problems. Needless to say, it didn’t, and the scene was becoming depressingly familiar to the young man. 

He half-heartedly glanced at the clock, and cringed. 3:47. When the wannabe writer agreed to play bartender in such a decrepit establishment, he knew it wouldn’t be all rainbows and sunshine, but he thought that the customers would spend the night pouring their hearts out to him, revealing tragic fates and stories of betrayed love, encouraged by his wise advices. Instead of those passionate tales, he only got drunken mumbles filled with sobs about lost jobs and hated lives. It was disappointing, and Jeremy thought about quitting more and more as the nights passed, all annoyingly similar.

But tonight was different, he reminded himself, staring at the only unfamiliar customer of the night. The writer in Jeremy couldn’t help but admire his looks, the kind that books took pages to tell, and made more than one fall on their knees. 

The stranger couldn’t be more than two or three years younger than the bartender, but the frown currently creasing his forehead made him look older than his mid-twenties. Perhaps sensing the weight of his gaze, striking hazel eyes looked up and revealed a tired and weary soul hidden in their depths. It didn’t make much sense though. Judging by the quality of his clothes and glasses, the handsome man had everything to lead a happy and successful life, so what was he doing alone in such a place, breathing the same air as those drunkards? The living-mystery lifted his glass, silently asking for a refill, and Jeremy hesitated.

If he complied, it would the fourth glass of Scotch in less than two hours. However, a part of him couldn’t help but hope that this glass would be the one allowing him to hear all those secrets. The too curious bartender was about to pour the liquor when the bell above the door chimed softly. 

It was as though a spell had been at the same time broken and recast. A new kind of silence appeared, the apathy vanishing, replaced by awe and lust. This reaction was easily understandable though.

This type of beauty was one that men, especially those who hang out in this pathetic bar, could only hope to witness once in their lives. Even under the unflattering artificial lightening, she looked like an angel, appearing before their rotten eyes to purify their damned souls. Her crimson hair danced like fire with her every move and created an alluring contrast with her alabaster skin, almost green under those lights, which paled in comparison to her eyes, the same colour as unpolished malachite. Her unusual colouring only made her more intriguing to the assembly, their heavy gazes not bothering the exotic goddess who calmly made her way to the nervous bartender. 

 

Her luscious lips stretched into an amused smirk and the boy gulped loudly. 

“A Cosmopolitan. Now.”

Jeremy could only stare at her dumbly, unable to even think about wiping the drool off his chin. It was as though his heart beat on the rhythm of her words, and the mere seconds following her order were spent in agony, the lack of oxygen making it near impossible to breath.

“Can you even do that one simple task?”

Though she was still smiling, there was no mistaking the annoyance in her voice.

Straightening, he nodded rapidly and turned around to make the cocktail, hands shaking and sweating. After a minute of preparation, he finally placed the drink in front of the gorgeous customer, waiting eagerly for her approval. He watched intently as she took a first sip, anxiously biting his lips when she sighed gently.

“Well, I guess that it will have to do…”

The fact that the beverage wasn’t as much as a success as he first thought was crushing, the liquid honey that was her voice both chastening and soothing; and hearing it as a disappointed murmur made him want to change it into a scream of pleasure, his name on her lips, head thrown back and exposing her delicate neck. 

The sound of another voice, much less pleasant than his goddess’, snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned toward the intruder, face still flushed from his previous thoughts. 

“Lily-Flower?”

The dangerous beauty slowly shifted in her seat until her eyes met the hopeful ones of the sad enigma.

“My name is Poison Ivy, and you would do well to remember it.”

The hope was slowly replaced by confusion, and in his drunken stupor, the man looked like a petulant child.

“But you look just like her! The same pretty hair! So pretty…”

Reaching to pat the fiery locks, his hand was slapped aside by the peeved woman. 

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

Ignoring her indignant question, he turned back to his drink and his eyes gained a haunted look.

“Did you hear about the Prewett brothers? Do you know what they did to them? Can you believe that they’re gone now? Just like that. It could have been us, and if this continues, it will be us, Lily.” Hands and glass shaking, he finished in a whisper. “I don’t want to die.” 

An uncomfortable silence enveloped the trio, before the only female repeated herself, still annoyed:

“I told you, my name is Poison Ivy, not Lily.”

Suddenly gripping her shoulders, he begged frantically:

“Promise me, though! Promise me that you won’t die! That you’ll survive this war and live a happy life, even if it’s with this bastard Snivellus!” 

Her eyebrows further furrowed, and confused, she asked:

“A war? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t worry about anything he says” interrupted the eager barman, “he just had one too many drinks. He isn’t worth your time, milady.”

Barely sparing him a glance, she asked her question again, angrier than before. Her feelings didn’t softened when, instead of answering her as he should, he ignored her yet again, moodily muttering about this ‘Snivellus’. 

Leaning forward and fixing him intensely, she repeated herself a third time and it was as though the grumbling man had been sucker punched. Frowning, he shook his head and slowly turned toward her, looking alert for the first time since the beginning of the night. It would have been far more impressive if his sharpened eyes hadn’t looked so glazed and conflicted. 

“Not here.” His voice sounded confused, as if he was reading from a script that didn’t make any sense to him. “I have a room in the street. Let’s go there.”

With a satisfied smirk, she nodded and rose gracefully, following him out of the seedy bar.

Too focused on the hypnotising sway of her generous hips, it wasn’t until the jingle snapped him out of his trance that he noticed an important detail for his now seriously compromised carrier. With a long, tortured moan, he whined to the dazed and uncaring customers.

“My boss won’t care how beautiful they were! Who's gonna pay?!”

XXXXXXXXXX

Except for his occasional stumbles, James and his companion arrived quickly to their destination, a modest nondescript hotel, the kind that didn’t ask questions.

He hesitated on his every move, not understanding why exactly he was making them. Why was he opening the door? Why was he letting her in? The heavy scent clouding his thoughts wasn’t really helping either. The fragrance in itself was quite unusual, a mix of moss, cinnamon, honeysuckle and sandalwood. He felt the strongest urge to try and catch a better sniff of it by leaning his nose near her tempting neck, but he resisted with all his strength and was again confused as to why exactly he was experiencing those strange impulses.  
Of course, he had always wanted to get closer to Lily, both romantically and physically, but never with this kind of need; like a plant seeking water and sun.

Though his vision was still blurry, he knew it was her. He would recognize this shade of red anywhere: darker than the Weasley’s, closer to fresh blood, and yet so alive it looked like a will-o’-the-wisp. And those eyes! He couldn’t remember how many times he had lost himself into those bright emerald orbs.

No one else could possibly possess such a colouring. This woman standing right in front of him, so tempting, just had to be Lily. Even if her lips were fuller. And her eyes seemed sharper. And she kept denying her name was Lily…  
Still staring into her almond-shaped eyes, he almost didn’t hear her next words.

“Now tell me more about this war of yours.”

“Don’t be silly Lily, you already know all about it.”

“Again, that’s not my name. But please, do enlighten me.”

Her tone seemed to become more forceful, and he felt the same compulsion, the same need to answer her, no matter how illogical her question. And so, still confused he recounted to her the war for freedom and tolerance they were fighting against the tyrannical Voldemort. With each passing words, she seemed to get angrier and her voice came out as a snarl.

“Is this some kind of joke?! Who do you think you are, wasting my time like that?!”

“What? No, of course not! Why would I joke about something like that? You know I’m telling the truth!” 

“As if something like magic could actually exists. There is only science in this world!”

“Then what is this!?”

With a flick of his wand and a quick incantation, the bed was on fire. Another flick and it was extinguished without leaving a trace. 

Mouth ever so slightly open, eyes wide, she was unable to speak for a few seconds before curiosity took over.

“What was that? How did you do that? Tell me!” 

She stared at him intensely enough for him to be slightly uncomfortable.

“I already told you it was magic.” With a disappointed sigh, he added, “You’re really not Lily, are you?”

The unimpressed raised eyebrow gave even more bite to her mocking retort.

“As I have already said many times now, my name is Poison Ivy.” 

The expectant way she enounced her name made it clear that he was supposed to know what it represented, but all he could say was:

“Well that’s… ominous. And slightly ridiculous too.”

Obviously, it was not the right thing to say.

“Coming from a man fighting, and losing against someone named Voldemort…”

“That man is incredibly ruthless and dangerous! He could kill you in a blink of an eye.”

“Ha! As if a simple man could stand a chance against the Poison Ivy! I have the support of Gaia herself.”

Ignoring the incredibly arrogant claim, he stared urgently in her eyes, trying to impress on her the danger that was Voldemort.

“He has incredible, dark powers, and he wouldn’t hesitate one second before killing you!”

“He would already be dead.”

“Why do I have the feeling that no matter what I tell you, you won’t take it seriously?”

This time, she was the one not answering his question, looking childishly proud of herself for it.  
With a sigh and a muttered “your loss”, he sat tiredly on the bed. A minute of silence passed before he looked up only to see her standing there, staring at him with an intensely curious expression.

“What?”

Cocking her head to the side, she slowly asked:

“This magic of yours… Were you born with it?”

“Yes? Nobody really knows where it comes from; just that it’s been here for a long, long time.”

“So, it’s a natural energy? Humanity had no hand in its creation, correct?

“Right, humans can only wield it. Completely controlling it is impossible. Why?”

“I wonder if…”

Before he could ask her to elaborate, she was upon him, straddling him, pushing against him and letting him no way to refuse her. He could only smell mint, honey and the bitter aftertaste of her Cosmopolitan on her skin, yet it was enough for him to feel more intoxicated and feverish with this contact than with his three glasses of Scotch. 

After a short and half-hearted struggle, he surrendered, overwhelmed by her presence, falling back on the used mattress under him, her body moulding to his in all the right places, as cold as her gaze but as hypnotizing as her fiery hair.

His last coherent thought, however, was to the only woman he truly loved.

‘At least, this one really does look like you.’


	2. Middlemist Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own neither Harry Potter, nor Batman. I'm just a lonely blade of grass.

With a tired sigh, Poison Ivy carefully held up the flower she had studied for four months straight. Just like every time before, she couldn’t help but be fascinated by this beautiful specimen. 

The Middlemist Red was, after all, the rarest flower in the world, and staring intensely at her deep pink color, Ivy felt a crushing sense of regret. Even with her superior skills, she wasn’t able to recreate her and for that, the infamous botanist’s heart wept. 

Holding her up, she admired the contrast between the bright pink petals and the dark, ominous background. She didn’t know which she hated more; Gotham during daytime, when all you could see were the different shades of grey composing the city, or during nighttime, when her imagination reigned free and let her think about the disgusting humans lurking in the shadows. 

Observing the way the petals seemed to pale under the artificial light, she wondered yet again if she had made the right choice by returning with her precious friend. 

“Such a horrid place, don’t you think, my dear?”

Like always, she could feel the flower’s agreement through their special bond.

This feeling of kinship with one of her own was not unusual, but rarely was it this strong. Was it because they were so similar, both of them so special, yet still stuck in this wretched place? Although, just as she had expected, London was no better than this hellhole: the air was just as heavy and foul, and the humans were the same disgusting, useless creatures they always had been and would be, no matter the country. The only thing remotely positive about this place was the lack of giant bat, whose sole existence apparently consisted of ruining her plans.  
Thinking about the vile vigilante, her hand clenched around her fragile charge and she took a deep breath, trying unsuccessfully to relax.

How could that man, and of course, it had to be a man, do nothing while those monsters murdered Mother Nature, day after day? 

Before her indignation could take control of her fiery temper, a familiar ache since her trip to England a month ago bloomed in her stomach. Gasping, she hurriedly put the plant back on the desk and sat down, clutching at her abdomen, waiting anxiously for the pain to fade away. Breathing heavily, she tiredly rubbed her face. 

With a weary sigh, she got up on wobbly legs, slowly making her way toward her bedroom. Carefully lying down on her unmade bed, she blindly reached for the catheter on her nightstand, wincing while inserting the needle in her vein, standing clearly on her oh-so pale skin. Soon, she could feel the effect of the IV on her, filled with one of her own creation. Already, the pain lessened thanks to the extract of poppy seeds and she was once again left to wonder what on earth was happening to her. Was the pollution too much for her mutated organism at last? Or was she finally leaving her humanity behind to fully embrace her true nature?   
With that last wistful wish and a soft smile, she peacefully fell asleep.

XXX

Sometimes, he had to admit it was difficult to know who he really was. Was he Bruce Wayne, philanthropist playboy? Or was he Batman, protector of Gotham? Often, he felt like neither. 

Right now though, he wore the billionaire’s mask, lucky enough to have at his arm the new It-girl in the fashion world, and he certainly didn’t have the time to ponder on his twisted identity. A quick smile and thank you to the new donator seemed to fool him, and Bruce let out a relieved sigh. It would not do for the light-hearted heir to be anything else than radiant. 

The sudden crash echoing through the luxuriant boat, however, was the perfect excuse to drop the mask, even if it was to replace it with a terrified one. After all, it would be the only one acceptable considering the giant sea-snake’s apparition. A closer look revealed it to be made of algae, which could only mean one thing.

“Hello there, Brucie.”

Turning around, the sight of the infamous redhead proved his deduction had been the right one.

“Poison Ivy…”

The name came out in a growl and only made the villainess’ smirk grow.

“Missed me, love?”

The question was left unanswered as the superhero rushed at her, fist raised and a wordless scream on his lips.

Slowly shaking her head, she waved her left hand carelessly, watching in utter boredom as the foolish man was sent overboard by her lovely creation.

“Will they ever learn?” she wondered out loud, making her way toward the charity fund unhurriedly. 

She’d only had the time to put a few fistful of money in her large burlap sack before she was violently thrown back by a heavy hand, slumping against the iron boat rails. The sensation was so familiar now that she didn’t even need to look to know who was responsible for this affront.

“This money belongs to charity.” 

The gravelly voice seemed to echo around the boat, immediately setting off the various sighs of relief and exclamations of ‘Batman!’. 

“I know. The Poison Ivy foundation is truly thankful, by the way.”

This did not amuse the caped crusader who only crouched before the infamous criminal to restrain her, which was the exact thing she was waiting for.

With a wicked smile, the supervillain crashed their lips together before being roughly pushed away. But it was already too late and the hero stumbled, cursing his foolishness. It was only years of intense training, both physical and psychological, which allowed him to think through the haze that was slowly filling his mind caused by her famous toxic kiss.

Falling back toward her, he took advantage of her surprise, shoving her against the pole behind, hard enough to knock her out, before pressing their lips together once more for only a second to enjoy the curing effects of the second kiss. 

Knowing that he only had a few precious second before grateful people started to approach him, he quickly jumped back into the freezing sea, taking off his uniform and putting back his tuxedo as fast as he could, right on time to be ‘rescued’ and returned at his lady’s side.

“That was really brave of you, you know, but I think you should let Batman handle those things.”

With a truly amused smile, the playboy ran his hand through his wet hair.

“Sorry, I guess I just couldn’t help it…” 

XXX

“Thanks again, Batman. We really owe you one.”

Waving away commissioner Gordon’s gratitude, he quietly watched as Poison Ivy was dragged away, firmly restrained by her personal straitjacket and two female members of Arkham Asylum.

“Be careful though, I have a bad feeling about this one. She didn’t even put up a fight, she might be planning something.” 

With a sigh, the tired man gave a small nod, having noticed the lack of struggle as well.

“I’ll tell them to do their best, but you know how it is: you get one back here, two escape. It’s always been like this, and it probably always will. Nothing can keep these crazies away from our good old city.”

The vigilante could only frown at that. The truth in this statement haunted him every single day ever since he first put on this cape and decided to make of Gotham a better and safer place. Once again, he let his eyes focus on the barely responding redhead. Usually, she would have already insulted half of the people involved in her presence in this blasted place, yet she hadn’t said a word since their confrontation. In fact, she looked quite pale and tired, nothing like her usual vibrant and proud self.

“Still, be careful.”

And with those last words, the superhero left the scene.

XXX 

Lying on her cot, knees to her chest and arms wrapped around her stomach, Ivy could hardly breathe through the excruciating pain which had steadily grown in the last six months. Her stay at the Asylum never were pleasant, what with the lack of sunlight and the presence of those insufferable idiots, but this feeling of having your insides being twisted, pulled and squeezed by an invisible hand at the same time was highly unusual and worrying to say the least. Gasping, she weakly called for the guard passing by, earning a suspicious look for her efforts, but after a few moments of quiet observation, he cautiously made his way to her side.

“Is there any problem, inmate?”

She let her poisonous glare talk for itself, too tired to snarl and rant about men’s stupidity.

Seeing her obviously not fake pain but unwilling to take any risk, the young employee carefully took out the keys of her cell.

“I’m going to open this door, and I want you to stay put, okay? Do not move or speak, understood?”

Clenching her teeth she gave a slow, short nod. It seemed as though an eternity had passed before she felt herself being straightened up by the slow boy.

“Do you think you can stand up without falling?”

Not knowing whether or not the order still stood and unwilling to take the risk, she lightly shook her head no.  
Sighing nervously, he gently helped her up, only to almost drop her a second later.

“What- What the hell is that?!”

Annoyed by the brusque movement, she looked down, only to see small pool of water at her feet. Now that she thought about it, she could feel something trickling down her legs.

“You’re- You’re not…”

Furious and worried about this new predicament, she all but forgot his previous order, glaring at him through her sweat soaked bangs.

“I am most certainly not!”

The guard’s dread only grew with her growled answer, and he unhelpfully started fidgeting.

“I’m not paid for this, you know!”

With a small wordless scream, she turned his face toward her and looked deep in his brown eyes.

“Take me to the infirmary. Now!”

In a daze, he stupidly nodded and slowly walked through the doors, not reacting to the jeers of the others lunatics.  
After a few long minutes, they stood before the stern and suspicious figure of the head nurse. 

“What are you doing here? What’s happening? What did you do to-?”

“Shut up and heal me, or you won’t leave this room alive!” she snapped, out of breath and hating herself for showing so much weakness in front of the enemies. 

Narrowing her dark eyes, the no-nonsense woman observed her hunched shoulders and labored breathing.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, you fool! Why do you think I’m he-“ 

The sudden pain was so intolerable that it left her breathless for a few seconds and almost brought her to her knees. Professional concern for her unusual patient taking over momentarily, the nurse quickly lead her to the more comfortable coat and laid her down. 

“Is it your stomach?”

Only receiving a short nod, she put her hands on the redhead’s abdomen and was shocked speechless by what she felt.

Seeing the astonished look on the nurse’s face, the growing sense of dread twisted her insides even further. 

“What!? What is it?!”

Taking another deep breath, the nurse turned toward the confused and standing guard.

“Call Sharp, we have a 372 in the infirmary.”

Paling, the young man gave hasty nod and ran to the desk phone. 

“Tell me! What’s going on?!”

Looking up into her patient’s panicked eyes, she spoke slowly, trying not to upset the infamous killer even further.

“Miss Isley… Were you aware you’re pregnant?”

“Are you kidding me?! That’s impossible, I’m sterile!”

Snatching her patient’s hand, she put it against the painful area, watching as shock replaced incredulity as something distinctly moved at the shaking touch.

“I’m not kidding, and you’re in labor. I suggest we stop talking and start acting.”

XXXXX

A few hours later, a small bundle in her arms and more tired than ever, Pamela wondered how such a tiny little thing could cause so much pain and awe.

And yet, no matter how exhausted she was, she couldn’t take her eyes off little flower’s face, because if she did, she was sure she would realize it was all a just a beautiful dream. She had realized early on her rebirth that her cycle had been forever broken and so, that she could never share her future perfect world with someone who would understand how wonderful it truly was. Still, she had not let that crushing realization stop her. If anything, she had worked even harder, all for the sake of the little ones who did not understand how monstrous their parents were and who didn’t know any better.

But looking at her, her oh-so fragile daughter, she was reminded of her original reasons; this need protect her own, to cherish them as much as her heart could… It was both thrilling and humbling, and she could not, would not fail them.

Already, she could feel the strong, ever-growing bond between the two of them, more powerful than any other before. They would be inseparable, of that she was certain; she wouldn’t allow anything else. For Gaia’s sake, even her birthday was linked to their cause! Born on a June 5th, the World Environment day… 

With that realization came the certainty that one day; she would leave in this perfect world with her, her dear little girl.

“What’s her name?”

Not answering the neglected nurse immediately, she thought about the question. One day, when she had still been a shy and easily overlooked girl, she had stopped disgusting little boys from ruining her mother’s favorite flowerbed, pushing them out of the garden, and standing up for the first time in her young life to defend innocent victims against selfish bullies. This incident had been the main reason why she later decided to become a botanist, and years later, she still remembered the memory fondly.

“Aster. My baby girl is an Aster.”


	3. Kadupul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I own neither Batman nor Harry Potter. I’m just a trampled Daisy.

Pamela Isley had always loved the color green. Her childhood bedroom walls had been green, her first friend had been green and most important of all, it was her kin’s emblematic color. 

And yet, all those lovely shades seemed to pale next to her beautiful, perfect baby girl’s emerald eyes. Those orbs drew her in, demanded all her attention, all her love, and the enamored mother was more than ready to give all of it to her. Holding her seemed to erase the exhaustion of the past few months, and she felt more energized than she had in years. The rush of vitality was similar to the one she had received along with her powers on that fateful night, and Ivy knew it wasn’t a coincidence.

This moment would have been perfect if not for the slow, torturous ticking of the clock, a nerve racking reminder of the worrying conversation she had overheard just a few minutes ago.

XXXX

“When will she be able to reintegrate her cell?”

Ivy easily recognized the oh so annoying voice of Quincy Sharp, Warden of the pathetic establishment that was Arkham Asylum.

“She just gave birth five hours ago. She needs rest, and so does her baby. It might take some time. The girl is a few months early. She wasn’t supposed to be here before August.”

After a few seconds, her hazy mind remembered the nurse’s voice and she felt a rare, and thus treasurable, stab of regret for shouting at her earlier. That woman was probably the first competent employee she had ever encountered in this prison, and she had frequented it for the last three years. The reminder of her precious’ health stole her attention back and her arms immediately tightened around her daughter.

“In case you hadn’t noticed, those dangerous criminals’ health is not exactly our main priority. The weaker they are, the better it is.”

“Well then, think about the girl. She ain’t about to kill us all.”

The tired mother smiled down at her still sleeping daughter. ‘No, not yet. But soon, my dear, soon.'

“We have to stay careful, you never know with that woman.”

“Right, beware of the toothless babe, she’ll smile you to death.”

“Laugh all you want, Miss Thompson, but I want Miss Ivy in her cell by the end of the day, understood? She is tired, as defenseless as she will ever be, and it would be beyond foolish to let this kind of opportunity go by.”

Ivy furiously narrowed her eyes. She was never defenseless, and for this little man to ever assume otherwise... 

“What about the little one? She needs her mother.”

Sharp let out a short laugh, and Ivy barely held back a growl at the shrill sound.

“Are you seriously considering leaving the two together? That woman might be a criminal, a terrorist and a murderer, but she is most certainly not a mother. Trust me, the girl will be better off without her. The orphanage will be more than happy to welcome her. Hopefully her mother’s absence will prevent her from being yet another nuisance.”

Time seemed to slow down and the red haired beauty couldn’t find the strength to breathe anymore. What on earth did those monsters wanted to do with her baby?! 

“Now get back to work and follow the orders, or you will have to find another job, got it?”

As Ivy slowly tried to get her breathing back under control, she barely heard the nurse’s faint answer.

“Yes, sir.”

XXXXXX

Just the reminder of that dreaded conversation was enough to set off her fiery temper. How dared they? How dared they try and take away her precious bud?! She was hers, and no one would ever place their tainted hands on her little one; and those foolish enough to try would be annihilated, she would make sure of it.

Preoccupied by her dark thoughts, she clutched her small bundle to her chest a little too tight. The little sound Aster made was enough to snap her out of it and she immediately returned her full attention to her, still keeping her close, but in a more tender hold. The sensation of this small, warm and fragile body pressed against her was   
rapidly becoming addicting and she became sure of one thing: nothing and no one would ever separate them. 

XXXXXXX

With heavy steps, Angela Thompson approached the sleeping mother and daughter and let out another sigh. This was not what she had signed up for. When she had decided to ignore boring job offers of healers back home she had thought that she would be able to help muggles with her knowledge, but she had underestimated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. She wanted to make a difference, she truly did, but she was not gifted enough back home to actually do something, and here, she was basically powerless. However, she knew this world better, having been raised in it. She had thought that she understood its logic, but as she remembered her year as a nurse in this madhouse, she came to the conclusion, that she probably should have accepted one of those boring offers. When she had agreed to work at Arkham Asylum, she knew that it wouldn’t be pretty, that she would see dark things, dark people, and most of all, that the criminals would not get better. After all, anybody entering here would leave some of their sanity behind, herself included, so for those maniacs, declared insane a long time ago, getting better would take more than a miracle. She knew that and yet, there were times like those where she found herself doubting. Were they really the terrible monsters the newspapers claimed them to be? If she hadn’t known that the red haired was an infamous bioterrorist, she would have believed her to be just another tired and enamored mother, peacefully resting with her adorable baby. 

Slowly reaching for the sleeping newborn, her hands brushing against the unconscious criminal’s arm, she could only whisper a token apology.

“I’m sorry, I really am.”

As the words left her mouth, chilling malachite eyes snapped open and a furious hiss stopped Angela dead in her tracks. 

“Don’t. You. Dare.”

Wide eyed, the terrified nurse could only lose herself in those fascinating orbs, too afraid to move away, and only managed a few stutters.

“I-… I wasn’t- “

“You weren’t what? Trying to take her away from me? Don’t lie, I heard you talking with that vile man. I won’t let you! We’ll stay together, and no one will ever be able to keep us away from each other! Try, and you’ll die before you even have time to beg me to spare you!”

“Your handcuffed to the bed and you don’t have any access to your powers.”

Angela paused, realizing what she had just said. Had she just talked back to an infamous terrorist?!  
Judging from the unholy intensity the glare had just reached, she had. 

“If you really think that those will be enough to stop me, then truly, you are even more stupid than I first thought. Now, be a dear, and let me go.”

Suddenly exhausted, the nurse let out a long sigh.

“Look, I’m really sorry, but I’m not gonna do that. I just can’t. And honestly? I’m not sure I even want to. You’re a criminal. What kind of life could you possibly offer her? You’re not alone now, you know? You have to think about her for one second.” 

“Let. Me. Go.”

“No.”

“Let. Me. GO!”

The two women stared at each other in silence for a few moments, neither of them willing to look away.

“If I let you out, would you give up your whole bioterrorist act for her?”

“No.”

“Well then-“

“I’ll never stop my activities for her. I won’t give up on my dream for her. I’ll create this perfect world for her or I’ll die trying and take everyone with me to see how the afterlife looks like, so LET. ME. OUT!”

“How the hell could I help you after what you just told me?! If I let you out, you’ll just resume your activities and be a threat to Gotham! Why should I help you?”

“Because one day, be it in a week or in a month, I will be out of here anyway, and when I am, I will find you, and I will kill you.”

The threat was uttered in such a calm voice that Angela was struck speechless for a few seconds, jaw hanging open and eyes narrowed. 

“Seriously? That’s how you want to convince me? You’re just proving my point!”

“Yes. But is it working?”

“No! God, no!”

“Huh. It usually does… Would it help if I said please?”

“Is this really happening? Or are you somehow drugging me? Is this all part of your plans?”

“… Which answer will get me out of here?”

“Oh for god’s sake!”

Hand raking through her hair, Angela stared at her unusual patient, really observing her, and was almost surprised by th results. She looked… tired, yes, but underneath that was worry and an unbreakable determination. This look was completely different from the one the dangerous red haired beauty was famous for, all cold indifference and superiority, and in that moment, Angela was sure of one thing: Poison Ivy would leave this place with her daughter, or the world as they knew it would end. Keeping her here was only differing the inevitable and make it ten times worse. All they could do now was to try and control the damages.

Angela let out another sigh, probably the hundredth today. She knew she shouldn’t have gotten out of bed this morning.

“You’re right.”

Startled eyes of jade met hers, the exhaustion seeming to disappear for an instant and making way for surprise.

“Yes. What about?” 

“You will be out of here, it’s only a question of time. Soon, they’ll declare you sane enough to walk freely around Gotham, and then you’ll just return to causing mayhem, Batman will stop you-“ At this, the criminal’s eyes abruptly narrowed. “and put you back here until everything start over and over again. It’s just a vicious circle, bound to repeat itself until one of you gives up, and we’ve already established that that won’t happen any time soon.”

“What are you trying to say?”

The badly concealed hope was almost too much to hear coming from such a woman, but Angela soldiered on and fished out a key out of her pocket, hand brushing against her old wand, and she contemplated the idea of ending everything, right here, right now, but a quick look at the sleeping girl put those thoughts to rest. The inmate’s eyes intensely followed the small object, and for a second, the nurse was tempted to wave it around and see her patient’s reaction. 

“I’m trying to say that, if I hear about any kind of bioterrorist activities in the next three months? You won’t be seeing your daughter for some time.”

The walls were back up, and the only emotion to be found in those chilling orbs was a burning anger.

“If you think for one second that a miserable mortal-“

Angela held up the hand clutching the key and spoke over the hateful villainess.

“In case you forgot, you just gave birth to a baby. You both need each other and rest. Running around destroying public properties won’t help either of you. It’s either that, or you’ll be sedated over and over again, and when you get out of here? Your daughter will be long gone, and don’t think that they won’t get her far away enough for you to never find her. Do we have a deal?”

The stubborn women stared intensely at it each other for quite some time until they were interrupted by a small gurgle, and the two of them looked at the culprit. As Aster slowly blinked open sleepy eyes, her mother intently stared at her face, already knowing the answer.

“Alright. I will not fight back for three months.” Ivy quickly clenched her jaw, and kept her gaze on her daughter. 

“Now get me out of here.”

XXXX

Getting out of Arkham Asylum was, unsurprisingly, very easy. A quick look at the guards’ schedule revealed an obvious security failure, and the odd trio slowly made their way toward the entrance, carefully timing their walk to avoid any guard. A few corridors before liberty, a security agent walked a little too close to their position and they were forced to quickly backpedaled.

“This would be much easier if I was out of this ridiculous wheelchair!” 

“No, this would be much easier if you could actually walk! Now, shush. They’re dumb, not deaf.” 

It was precisely this moment that Aster chose to wake up and feel hungry. 

The panicked look on Poison Ivy’s face was so strange to witness that Angela took a few seconds to realize what was happening.

“She’s hungry. You have to feed her.” 

The look didn’t change and the nurse could feel the awkward moment coming.

“Hum, just-… Just bring her close to your chest, and she’ll... you know... do the rest.”

Angela slightly turned away when the new mother tugged at her hospital gown. After a few seconds, she tuned back toward her patient, and the look of utter love on her face was at least comforting. She may be setting free a criminal, but she wasn’t separating a mother and her daughter. When two minutes had passed, Angela coughed lightly in her fist, unwilling to break the tender moment.

“The next shift starts in a few minutes; we have to go now.” 

With a nod, the red haired adjusted her gown, and the dark skinned nurse started to push the wheelchair.

When they arrived in the hall, Angela had to pause for a second, barely believing what she was seeing. Despite knowing that the security system of this place was basically useless, the sight of the empty desk was almost too much. Was it a trap? Or did they seriously leave the entrance to the most dangerous asylum in the country unattended? 

Neither possibilities were comforting to the incredulous young woman. The criminal, sensing her bewilderment, turned in her seat, a smirk spread across her face.

“Are you really surprised? How do you think people escape this place? Sharp is way too much of a penny-pincher to actually secure this place. Honestly, I’m surprised this place hasn’t already been shut down.”

“Yeah, but, still…”

“Let’s go. We shouldn’t take any risk, not this close to freedom.”

Nodding, the nurse hurriedly crossed the hall, heart beating loudly in her chest and adrenaline pumping through her veins, almost running by the time they reached the double doors. 

Stopping once they passed through the great gate, Angela leaned back, breathing heavily and shaky words leaving her trembling body. 

“That… was-“

“A normal Wednesday for me.”

Angela let out a strangled laugh and inhaled slowly. The two of them stayed silent for a few seconds before the nurse straightened up.

“Well, I should probably go and start looking for a new job.”

The escapee snorted and closed her eyes.

“Please, if they fired everyone who had let an inmate escape, voluntarily or not, this place would be empty. Don’t worry, you’ll probably get yelled at, but unfortunately for you, you’ll still work in this hellhole.”

Angela considered this quietly for a moment before humming slowly.

“You’re probably right… So, what will you do now? You can’t roll around Gotham like that, you’ll get caught in no time.”

While Poison Ivy looked at her, eyebrow raised high on her forehead, the grass stated to move, soon revealing a manhole. Angela stared for a second, before shaking her head.

“Okay, but how will you walk-“

As she talked a liana slowly crept out of the hole and almost tenderly wrapped itself around the mother and her sleeping babe. The picture was so bizarre that it left Angela speechless, before the nurse let out yet another sigh.

“Well, I guess this is a goodbye then. See you soon!”

Just as the villainess’ head disappeared, her eyes fixed on the nurse’s.

“Thank you. For everything.”

Before her shocked accomplice could answer, Poison Ivy was gone.


End file.
